42 amcn.com.au
Once underway I knew what to expect from the
engine as I had ridden the Shiver recently, and
just like that bike, there is a steady smooth push
of power. When you’re riding on a track, bikes like
this usually seem flat – it doesn’t matter if you have
200hp, you always want more! But Aprilia has done
well to change the personality of the old 750. There
was enough power to lift the wheel in second gear
and certainly enough power to have fun around the
Mac Park circuit.
The most impressive part of the engine though
is how the ECU meters the power delivery. It’s very
smooth and the three throttle maps are distinctly
different, which is refreshing. It’s a similar story
with the traction control, going from heavily
controlled (setting 3) all the way to off, allowing the
rider to choose the amount of intervention.
Although the Dorsoduro is not a racebike, it
was quite adept around the circuit. The standard
Dunlops, however, are not designed for this
environment, so I was pretty careful with the
amount of lean angle I fed in to the bike. Still, I
managed to have a load of fun.
Initially I found the bike ran wide under
acceleration, so when I came in I wanted to sort
that out. It was quite a plush ride and felt like it
was dipping in the back, so with three turns of rear
preload I went back out. It was much better and
although I never got the chance to ride the bike
on the road I could almost recommend this mod
straight up to the weekend scratchers out there. If
covering kilometres is your thing, however, it should
be fine as standard.
Mac Park is tight and technical with a few blind
off-camber corners thrown in for good measure.
Oh, and did I mention the bumps? The little circuit
was a great place to show off the general handlingcharacteristics of the 900. It flicked from side to
side over the uneven surfaces while maintaining
composure. Under heavy braking it kept on the
straight and narrow. I left the ABS on and even at
the extremes of the racetrack it worked excellently.
I found the front fork a little hard for my liking
so I softened the preload and took some damping
out and the difference was amazing. The new
suspension can take a lot of the credit for the
handling prowess of the Dorsoduro. I really enjoyed
the bike on the track as it did everything I asked of
it. And pulling into the pits for the final time at the
end of the day my first question was, can I take it for
a ride on the road?
Unfortunately, the three Dorsoduros on hand forDorsoduro
It flicked
from side
to side over
the uneven
surfaces
while
maintaining
composure
Above Will 900 prove
to be the magic number
for Aprilia, or will it leave
riders hanging for just a
few more cubes?